Get Updates

Quick Donate

You are here

Somalia

Looking to the Future

In 2011, a catastrophic drought struck the Horn of Africa, affecting Somalia, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Djibouti and Kenya. CARE continues its work there, helping communities become increasingly resilient for the future.

Fighting Poverty & Drought with Honeybees

Nuriya, an Ethiopian mother of six children, has been able to make ends meet on her own since her husband passed away 11 years ago. By farming bees, a trade usually engaged by men, Nuriya is able to provide for her family.

Country Info

CARE has been providing emergency relief and lifesaving assistance to the Somali people since 1981. Our main program activities since then have included projects in water and sanitation, sustainable pastoralist activities, civil society and media development, small-scale enterprise development, primary school education, teacher training, adult literacy and vocational training. We work in partnership with Somali and international aid agencies, civil society leaders and local authorities.

CARE Somalia is currently operational in the northern regions of Puntland and Somaliland.

A Changing World

For centuries, many in the Horn of Africa have depended on animal herding for their survival. But this traditional nomadic lifestyle has been under threat from soaring populations and a changing climate.

Hawo has refused to have her daughters circumcised in line with Somali tradition. The marriage between Hawo's grandfather, an Eritrean, and her grandmother, a Somali, rendered the family "tribeless," causing much suffering, especially during times of war. Hawo lives in a refugee camp in Kenya, after fleeing conflict in Somalia.

Gender-based violence is one of the most widespread – but least recognized – human rights abuses in the world. Globally, one out of three women will be beaten, coerced into sex or otherwise abused in her lifetime. This violence is happening to our sisters, mothers, grandmothers, aunts and daughters around the world.

This violence leaves survivors with long-term psychological and physical trauma; tears away at the social fabric of communities; and is used with terrifying effect in conflict settings, with women as the main target.

Food insecurity and conflict still a threat for the Horn of Africa, Dadaab refugee camp running out of funding

NAIROBI (July 13, 2012) – One year on from the devastating drought and famine that affected more than 12 million people in the Horn of Africa region, CARE is calling on governments and donors to take action to stop the repeated cycle of food crises in the region.

Currently, CARE is implementing over 74 economic development programs in 66 countries. CARE’s position as one of the world’s largest international non-governmental organizations allows its economic development programs to extend this reach to achieve lasting impacts in fighting poverty. Our focus on the underlying causes of poverty and long-term presence in many countries, allow us to mobilize partnerships and resources to address some of the most intractable challenges countries face, bringing in the specialized expertise that is needed.

In the year since the United Nations declared a famine in parts of Somalia, much has been accomplished. Large-scale humanitarian interventions by CARE and other agencies have helped save many lives. But families still struggle to feed themselves, and remain highly vulnerable to future events such as poor harvests, conflict-related displacement or a rise in commodity prices. Many who survived the worst of the crisis have been left without the reserves to withstand further shocks.